Selina! You've Overstepped!

Kexi followed Selina's directions and found her.

She was in a field not far from the vault.

Selina sat on the ground, clutching the two cans of Bloodleaf Viburnum in her hands, and suddenly looked up when she heard footsteps.

The moment she saw Kexi, she was thrown forward as if by a spring, dropping the jar on the ground and lunging at him.

Before Kexi could even stand up straight, a soft body bumped into him, causing him to take a half-step back.

"Young Master!"

Kexi's hands were hanging in mid-air, unsure of where to put them.

Selina buried her face in his chest, her shoulders heaving, and a muffled sob escaped her lips.

"It's all my fault, I'm so useless. Not only did I fail to protect you, but I couldn't even help you, and I made you take such a huge risk all by yourself. What kind of all-around talent am I? I'm such a good-for-nothing..."

"Alright, alright." Kexi lowered her hand and patted the back of her head. "I'm perfectly fine, aren't I? I'm lively and energetic, not a single hair is missing."

"But what if?" Selina looked up, her eyes red-rimmed and her nose red too. "What if something happens to you inside? I—"

"Selina," Kexi interrupted her, her voice softening, "Don't blame yourself."

Selina paused for a moment while sobbing.

What if I had never cared about your strength?

Selina froze. She looked up, her eyes wide open, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, her lips slightly parted.

"Let me finish." Kexi took her hand off the back of her head, took a half step back, and created some distance between them.

He spoke, his voice no longer carrying its usual carefree air; it was very serious.

"I asked you for help not because you're a great fighter or can withstand a lot of damage. I asked you because I trust you. I feel safe with you by my side. It has nothing to do with how strong you are, it has nothing to do with you being Selina."

Selina's lips trembled, and tears fell again.

But this time she didn't throw herself into his arms; she just stood there, gripping the hem of her dress tightly with both hands.

"Alright, alright, stop crying." Kexi reached out and turned her face to the side, her tone returning to its usual irritating manner, "If someone sees this, they'll think I'm bullying you."

Selina turned her face away from him, but after a moment she slowly turned back, staring intently at him.

"Would you like to try bullying me, young master?"

Kexi:???

Selina stared at him longingly, her eyes still red, but her gaze had changed.

There was something warm, soft, and tentative inside, completely different from the self-reproach I had felt earlier.

She took a small half-step forward, her toes almost touching the tips of his shoes.

Kexi felt a chill run down her spine.

Something's not right.

Something's not right.

Selina had never looked at him like that before, and now, this pleading Selina made him feel a little dangerous.

Was his previous guess actually correct?

"Selina." Kexi took a half step back, her expression complicated.

"Um?"

I have a question for you.

"Young Master, please speak." Selina nodded, looking extremely obedient.

Kexi stared at her for two seconds, then asked, "Don't you want to pay me back?"

Selina's expression cracked.

"Ah?"

"That money," Kexi held up a finger, "Was for your mother's medical expenses and your debts, which I covered. You're not trying to get away with this, are you? Using your charm to drug the creditor so you don't have to pay it back?"

Selina stared wide-eyed, her previous tender expression completely shattered.

Her face changed from pink to red, and then from red to an embarrassed purplish-red.

"Young Master! Do you think I'm that kind of person?!"

"What kind of look was that just now?"

Kexi pointed at her nose, "'Would the young master like to try bullying me?' Listen to that, is it even reasonable?"

"You were the one who said 'I thought I was bullying you' first!" Selina's voice rose, but her confidence was noticeably weaker.

"I was just saying it casually, and you took advantage of it." Kexi crossed her arms, looking like she'd seen through her. "Selina, I'm warning you, it's only right to pay back debts. If you really don't want to pay it back, I'll go to my second sister and have her deduct it from your salary."

Selina was unfazed by Kexi's threat. She smiled gently, her eyes soft and bright, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Young master, don't worry, I will pay it back."

Immediately afterwards, she lowered her head, not daring to look him in the eye, and whispered:

"Returning a Lifetime to You"

Upon hearing this, Kexi thought his advice had worked and nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. Remember, we have a superior-subordinate relationship, nothing more. Don't get into any of that nonsense, understand?"

Selina's smile froze on her face.

The tender affection she had just shown vanished instantly. She looked up, her eyes still red from the puckering, her lips pursed, and her voice carried a clear air of defiance.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why can they, but I can't?" Selina took a step forward, looking up at him. "You're involved with so many women... You can have them, so why can't I?"

Kexi coughed awkwardly and rubbed her nose. "You're different from them."

"How is it different?" Selina's eyes welled up with tears, her voice trembling slightly. "Why can't I? I'm a woman too. Why can they do it, but I can't? I can do what they can do, even better. I want to be like them..."

Before she could finish speaking, Kexi's face instantly darkened.

He looked into Selina's eyes, his tone completely different from usual.

His voice rose, his tone unusually sharp, as he interrupted her:

"Selina! You've overstepped your bounds."

The air grew quiet.

Selina stood there looking at him, her lips slightly parted, as if she had been slapped.

She stared at Kexi's face for several seconds; the expression on that face was so cold that she hardly recognized it.

"Overstepping the bounds." She repeated the word, her voice flat, so flat that it revealed no emotion.

"Yes. You've overstepped your bounds." Kexi didn't back down. "You've gone too far. You've developed inappropriate fantasies. This isn't what a qualified secretary should be like, understand?"

Selina was utterly despondent and heartbroken.

She didn't argue, didn't make a scene, and didn't question Kexi.

She simply lowered her head, staring at the tips of her shoes, and remained silent.

Kexi couldn't see the expression on her face, but she could see that her shoulders were very tense, and her hands were gripping the hem of her dress, gripping and then loosening, loosening and then gripping again.

After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice devoid of emotion.

"I see."

"Good that you understand." Kexi's tone softened, and she patted her shoulder. "Alright, stop thinking about things that aren't important. Go and contact Baizhi for me."

"Yes," Selina replied woodenly.

She turned around, took out her terminal, and initiated a communication request to Baizhi, as if nothing had just happened.

Her tone of voice when speaking to Baizhi also became unusually calm.

"Miss Baizhi, I am Selina. I have something to give you. It's related to Magistrate Jin's injury. May I see him?"

After meeting with Baizhi, Selina stood blankly next to her, acting as if nothing had happened.

Kexi clearly sensed her unusual behavior.

He wanted to say something more to her, so he called her name.

"Selina."

What just happened--

"Young Master," Selina interrupted him, her voice flat, "You don't need to explain. I understand. It won't happen again."

Kexi stood still and raised her hand to rub her temples.

He suddenly realized that what he had just said was a bit too harsh.

But it must be said that Selina is different from other women; she is someone who truly works for him.

If such messy things get mixed up in this relationship, how can we work together in the future?

Selina is a good girl, he's a bastard, how could he let her get involved in his mess?

"Never mind," he muttered to himself.

"Let's go."